Lunch was served in a side hall of the Shen family's courtyard, with Lord Feng personally accompanying them. During the meal, Xu Zhi expressed her desire to purchase a house in Wuzhou City. Upon hearing this, Lord Feng suggested, "There are two courtyards for sale in this alley. They were originally owned by some officials who were promoted and are now selling their properties. My dear niece is well aware of the advantages of living here. If you are interested, I will arrange for someone to accompany you to take a look after lunch."

This is naturally a good thing. Xu Zhi knows that as a girl, living alone in a foreign place, even with a few trustworthy guards by her side, she would still feel uneasy. If she were closer to the government office, with patrol officers on daily patrols, her safety would be more guaranteed.

Xu Zhi thanked Feng Zhongyi. After lunch, Madam Shen and Shen Mingwan wanted to have a private chat, while Xu Zhi went to an alley outside with one of Feng Zhongyi's attendants.

The Wuzhou Prefectural Government Office faces south. The back office is connected to the main office by a small gate. There is usually a gatekeeper on this side. The back office has a large gate in the alley behind it, which is where everyone usually comes and goes.

The alley where the back office was located was a quiet place in the midst of the hustle and bustle. The alley was as wide as two carriages side by side, and there were some grand and wealthy families on both sides. Xu Zhi walked a few steps along the alley and saw that the branches of persimmon trees planted in some houses were sticking out from the top of the wall. The branches were full of green fruits. She thought that in a few more days, they would be full of persimmons that looked like lanterns.

Thinking of that scene, Xu Zhi's heart was filled with longing. Life was very ordinary, but she was able to make it the way she hoped with her own hands. Xu Zhi was that kind of person. No matter where she went, she could always find the beauty in life from small details and add some beautiful colors to her life.

The servant usually accompanied Feng Zhongyi when he went out. Many people thought that the servant was Feng Zhongyi's face. Being able to have Feng Zhongyi's servant accompany him to look after the house meant that when the steward of that household saw the servant, he was very respectful.

This is a three-courtyard house. The previous owner was an official from Jiangnan who brought his family to take up his post. The family lived here for seven or eight years. Because they missed their hometown, the house is decorated with Jiangnan-style scenery everywhere.

The courtyard was a typical northern courtyard. Next to the main gate was a row of back rooms. After entering, there was a screen wall. Turning past the screen wall, there was a small front courtyard with three rooms. To the left of the front courtyard was a moon gate. After passing through this moon gate, there was a back courtyard. The back courtyard was very small, also a courtyard with three rooms. Next to the two back courtyards, there was even a small garden with a small pond. What was rare was that this pond was not stagnant water, but a river that originally existed in the city. It was said that the water in this river came from the boundary river, but because the distance was too far, no one had bothered to verify it. All that was known was that it came from the moat, flowing from south to north through the entire city of Wuzhou, and finally joining another river in the south of the city, continuing to flow into the distance.

This small garden was the place Xu Zhi had her eye on. The houses inside were quite old and dilapidated, so they needed to be properly repaired before moving in. Xu Zhi didn't care, since she was going to open a branch in Wuzhou and had a lot to do, such as choosing a location and hiring staff. Repairing the houses wasn't a pressing matter.

Xu Zhi immediately made a deal with the old steward. Because Feng Zhongyi was the guarantor, the courtyard, which was originally priced at 800 taels, was sold for only 750 taels. Even so, Xu Zhi still remembered that she had made a profit. The Taihu stones in the courtyard were brought all the way from Jiangnan. If you wanted to buy them, how much would that cost?

The old steward immediately handed over the keys to Xu Zhi and accompanied her to the government office to complete the registration. When Xu Zhi returned to the back office of the government office, she already had the freshly printed house deed in her arms.

Shen Mingwan said in surprise, "You're so quick! You bought the house in just one trip?"

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Of course, if it's suitable, just buy it quickly. It's rare to find something you like. If you hesitate, someone else might buy it, and you'll be the one who's sad later."

After listening, Shen Mingwan thought about it for a moment, nodded, and said, "That makes perfect sense."

Xu Zhi recalled a sentence Xu Bai had once said and said with a smile, "Strike when the iron is hot, and conquer the land with gusto."

Seeing Xu Zhi's expression, Shen Mingwan knew that this was another famous saying from someone in the Xu family. She sighed and said, "Your family members are truly talented. You can make simple words sound profound and thought-provoking."

The two were used to laughing and joking like this. As Shen sat and watched, she noticed that her daughter was much more lively than before. She felt that it was all because of her spending time with the Xu family girl. It's true that you become like those you associate with.

After the house was bought, Feng Zhongyi's attendant found a reliable craftsman and a group of people to start renovating the courtyard according to Xu Zhi's ideas. Xu Zhi and Shen Mingwan, on the other hand, wandered all over the city looking for a suitable house.

Although Wuzhou looks barren, it is the place that borders the Great Yan the most and is closest to the Great Yan capital. Therefore, many merchants from both countries use Wuzhou as a distribution center. Not only are there many shops with exotic flair inside the city, but there is also a market outside the city specifically for merchants and people from both countries to trade. I heard that this market is open once every two weeks, and you need to apply before you can bring your goods in.

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